And what is it with dogs and impatience? They expect you to hang around for ages while they sniff some disgusting thing (or, worse, eat it) but stop to take a photo and suddenly the dog remembers that it has urgent business half a mile away and it's all "Come on! What the hell are you doing with that camera thingy? Hurry up, useless weird owner!"

Isn't wild petunia the best groundcover? You can stick one in a shady spot and it'll spread on it's own, make pretty flowers, and need absolutely no care. As for pawpaw, I have eaten several, but am still waiting to actually taste one.

I am struggling with butterfly ID's. I put a photo up on my blog last week that looks a lot like, but not exactly like, your photo. Northern Pearl Crescent was suggested but I thought my photo was of a Silvery Checkerspot (Chlosyne nycteis). Do you know how to tell the difference? Are our butterflies the same species?

Dean, well obviously I'm struggling too - I had it wrong. RD was right on this one I think. It was very hard to tell from the markings (for me) but once I thought about the size of mine, I realized that it wasn't a Pearl Crescent - they are very small. I was in a hurry yesterday and didn't consult my book, d'oh! I changed it on the post.

About Me

Living in rural north central Alabama. Currently overstocked with pets and poultry. Having lived in several small towns and larger cities, country life is taking some getting used to.
A refugee from the corporate world since 1996, I'm the proprietor of a handmade soap company called Natural Impulse.
The photo is of Jasmine, fearless protector of the homestead from coyotes, bobcats, deer, herons, airplanes, butterflies and fuzzy little bunnies.
You can email me at blog (at) naturalimpulse.com.